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I have the privilege periodically to drive a new car from General Motors and this summer I picked the Chevy Equinox, GM’s new crossover SUV. I chose the Equinox because we were heading out to Rehoboth Beach, DE and I thought it would be a great test to take it on the road and see how it handled on a mini-vacation with all of our gear, the new pup, etc.

I have to say that from the first drive over to our store, The Big Bad Woof, I was enamored with the vehicle. It has a great interior that is well laid out with all the amenities and was very roomy for not only me, but our General Manager who is an athletic build and requires more space in a car. After he showed me some of the hidden niceties (like plugs for the Iphone etc) I started getting together the gear for our trip.

The back of the car had a very good sized storage area for bags and food to take to the beach with a very roomy back seat for Atticus to relax in during the 3 hour drive. We connected the Bluetooth and settles in for great sound with the Sirius Radio and Pandora.

Aren't we packed yet?

The car handled extremely well in both good and rainy road conditions, and felt like a solid machine with some weight to handle an accident. The Collision aversion is a nice feature also, with several different settings to warn us if we were too close to other cars. It felt very safe and the adjustable seats left me felling good after being in the car for an extended period of time.

I also was impressed with the gas mileage for a car of this size, averaging 20MPG in City and Highway overall. This is definitely a winner in my opinion and worth a test drive for anyone considering a new SUV.

Julie and I had the good fortune to re-visit one of our vendors, Smith Meadows Farm this month and were once again impressed and delighted with this terrific family and their farm. We walked to the various areas of the farm where the cows, pigs and chickens are rotated to enrich the soil and to produce a very healthy, sustainable environment for all.

The farm has been in the Pritchard family for eight generations, and there is a beautiful Bed & Breakfast at the center of the farm, for those who want a quiet getaway. They also have a full scale commercial kitchen where fresh pastas, pot pies and sauces are produced for the local farmers markets.

Forrest has recently written a new book on saving the family farm, called Gaining Ground, by going from a conventional farming enterprise to a sustainable model, and we have copies available at both stores. It is a great story and we are very proud to carry Smith Meadows products at The Big Bad Woof.

Every February we head south to Orlando for the Global Pet Expo and our favorite hotel is home to the Peabody Ducks, which parade through the hotel daily, frolic in the pool, and then go back to their Italian marble home for the evening.

We are fascinated by these mallard ducks, which are rotated out between three families who live wild on a farm for part of the year. We are told that it only takes one day to train the ducks to follow the duck wrangler in his bright red jacket.

The Legend of the Ducks

How did the tradition of the North American Mallard ducks in the lobby fountain of The Peabody Memphis begin? Back in the 1930s, Frank Schutt, general manager of The Peabody Memphis, and his life-long friend, Chip Barwick, returned from a weekend hunting trip to Arkansas. The men had had a little too much Tennessee sippin’ whiskey, and thought it would be funny to place some of their live duck decoys (it was legal then for hunters to use live decoys), into the black travertine fountain of the Peabody hotel. Three small English call ducks were selected, and the reaction was nothing short of enthusiastic. Thus began a Peabody tradition that was to become internationally famous. The original ducks have long since gone, but after 75 years, their progeny live on in the graceful, marble fountain in “The South’s Grand Hotel,” The Peabody Memphis, and also at The Peabody Little Rock and The Peabody Orlando. The Peabody Duck March takes place twice daily at 11am and 5pm.